By Brad Johnson
Register-Herald Reporter
BECKLEY —
When Raleigh County Schools Superintendent Charlotte Hutchens and school board president Richard Snuffer traveled to Charleston Tuesday to ask the state School Building Authority for funds to build a new Marsh Fork Elementary School, they brought with them something unexpected.
It was a letter from Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship pledging $1 million to help fund the construction.
“I was very pleasantly surprised,” Snuffer said. “I thought it was a fair offer from them to help us persuade the School Building Authority to help fund the project.”
Massey Energy received harsh criticism last year for not helping replace the school, which is located about 300 feet from a coal silo and is downhill from a slurry impoundment at a nearby mine.
Last fall, a company spokesperson said Massey pays millions of dollars in taxes that could be used to finance construction of a new school building.
Sen. Robert C. Byrd then blasted Massey for what he called the company’s “arrogance” and “greed” in not contributing directly to replacing the school.
In a letter to Snuffer dated March 18, Blankenship wrote, “We’re proud of our long-standing partnership with Marsh Fork Elementary School and are pleased to partner with you to provide the students with a new school. We understand that you wish to replace the current school because it is over 70 years old and located in the floodplain. We hope our contribution will assist you.”
“I talked to Mr. Blankenship a number of times,” Snuffer said of his ongoing discussions with Massey. “He kept saying they would be willing to do in-kind services, property or site prep. But there was really no property they owned that came within the parameters we needed, such as out of the floodplain and up the river from the facility. So I told him if there was anything else they could do we’d greatly appreciate it.”
Hutchens said she was pleased to have Massey’s help in trying to persuade the SBA.
“That was very generous on their part,” she said. “I’m not aware of there ever being a donation like that for Raleigh County schools. I was very surprised and happy.”
Hutchens said she was hopeful the trip to Charleston would bear positive results. “You never know. They didn’t make any decisions today,” she said. “They heard presentations all day today and yesterday. I believe there will be a final decision made in April.”
Sen. Mike Green, D-Raleigh, said Tuesday he believed Massey’s pledge should convince the SBA to build the new school.
“I think it’s outstanding. I can’t tell you how happy I am for the people in that part of the county,” Green said. “For Don Blankenship and Massey Energy to step forward and do this is wonderful. It’s been a point of contention now for several years, and hopefully this will help resolve the issue.
“All the conversations that I have had with the SBA people, they’ve said money is so tight you really need a 20 percent local match,” Green said. “With the $1 million the school board is putting into the project and the $1 million from Massey, that puts us over 20 percent of the entire project cost.
“This should move us up to the top of the list, or at least near the top.”
Snuffer also believes the Massey contribution will tip the scales in favor of Raleigh County. “There’s a lot of properties out there, but I don’t think there are any counties that will be able to put more in than what we have,” he said. “It’s an $8 million project, and with Massey’s contribution, we’ll be over $2 million, which is over 25 percent.
“I think Raleigh County has been very fair with the School Building Authority. We’ve funded most of our projects. A lot of counties have had projects funded completely, 100 percent state funds.
“And I would dare to say that the Coal River area has produced more millions, maybe billions of dollars in coal severance tax than anywhere in this state,” Snuffer said. “So it’s time they probably got a little bit back.”
Both Snuffer and Hutchens pointed out that the environmental organization Coal River Mountain Watch had raised $10,400 to contribute to construction of a new Marsh Fork Elementary.
“I thought it was significant that the local citizens down there have been raising money for years for a new school,” Snuffer said. “They have $10,400 and they’ve pledged that to the project. It means a lot. We may end up having that for a playground or whatever. They put their money where their mouth was and they put it out there for us to be able to do something with.”
Coal River Mountain Watch has protested Massey operations near the school, and the irony of having monetary pledges from both organizations was not lost on Snuffer.
“Think about having Massey and Coal River Mountain Watch in the same room, speaking for the same cause. That’s amazing,” he said.
“I was just really proud of all the entities today for coming together.”
— E-mail: bjohnson@register-herald.com
